Longest two months ever! And not just because of the Polar Vortex – much more harrowing was the absence of Scandal from our lives since December. Now it’s officially back, and so is Olitz. Olivia and Fitz have reunited in the White House as co-workers and lovahs.

But this isn’t a workplace rom-com; this is Shonda Rhimes. Fitz still has VP Sally Langston breathing down his neck, and the midseason premiere begins with Mellie running to tell Cyrus the news: “She’s…running,” the first lady says, breathlessly revealing what we learned back in December. Sally running for president is also a problem for Cyrus’ husband, James, the new White House press secretary, who’s trying to figure out how to spin the news.

The president is hard at work trying to spin the news too – by making out with his campaign manager. Mellie walks in on her husband and Olivia, but she can’t even be bothered by their antics anymore. They’re all on the same team now. (Oh, how we missed the dysfunction.)

As Sally is about to reveal her decision to the American people, campaign manager Leo Bergen (pictured above, left) gives her a pep talk tailor-made for the VP: “Jesus loves you.” Olivia, meanwhile, is giving her team marching orders on how to attack Sally’s credibility, painting her as an extremist and a quitter. Only problem? She’s not a quitter: She’ll run against Fitz, but she won’t resign as VP. Good thing Joe Biden didn’t get any wild ideas in 2012…

Fitz’s technique to cope with the news? Scotch. And throwing a highball glass at Cyrus’ head. But he has big plans to move forward, and they include picking the absolute worst running mate he can come up with: a straight white dude from the same state. Andrew Nichols was Fitz’s lieutenant governor in California, and Fitz just wants someone he can trust at his side. One would think Olivia is that confidant, but the drunk commander in chief dismisses her along with Mellie and Cyrus. “I said that’s all!” he barks at the woman whose tonsils he was inspecting minutes earlier.